Chapter 36 Secret Meeting, Caught in the Act

The boat was bustling with people and brightly lit.

Jiang Ninghui was forced to fall into Pei Duo's arms, her cheek pressed against the young man's warm and firm chest.

A strong, powerful arm wrapped around her lower back, and with a gentle pull, she was tightly pressed against that tall, imposing figure.

In an instant, the cedar scent on Pei Gongzi's body clung to her, permeating her nostrils, and his scent clung to every part of her body.

In an instant, Jiang Ninghui froze.

In front of everyone, why did Young Master Pei suddenly hug her?!

Besides, my lord is watching from not far away!

What if my husband sees me...

Jiang Ninghui dared not even think about it; just the thought made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

no!

No matter what Young Master Pei's purpose is, this is unacceptable!

Before Jiang Ninghui could struggle to break free, the young man's well-defined fingers pressed against the back of her neck, along with his deliberately lowered voice.

"Sister-in-law, don't make a sound."

"With me here, I will never let Brother Zhao see his sister-in-law."

Jiang Ninghui dared not move again.

At that moment, she inexplicably trusted Young Master Pei.

Young Master Pei had never lied to her; in fact, he always saved her whenever she was in danger.

He noticed that the person in his arms had calmed down and was clinging to him obediently.

A wicked smile curled at the corners of the young man's lips.

My sister-in-law is so obedient.

So honest.

But this honest sister-in-law was now nestled in his arms, pressed tightly against him.

She did this so that her husband wouldn't see her.

Pei Duo raised his eyes, his dark pupils glancing at Zhao Zhixue who was approaching.

It will be soon.

They'll be here soon.

If he got any closer, that good-for-nothing would be able to see his sister-in-law in his arms.

However, the person in his arms trembled like a leaf, and a pitiful voice escaped from his embrace: "Young Master Pei, when are we leaving? Please, Young Master Pei, take me away, so that my husband won't see us."

She was terrified.

He's the only person she can rely on now.

Not wanting to disappoint his sister-in-law, the young man tightened his arms, as if he wanted to meld the trembling woman into his body. He led her into the viewing curtains, found a corner, and squeezed her behind a pillar.

The young man used his tall frame to carefully sew Jiang Ninghui into his arms.

Behind and to the sides were ship pillars, and in front of him stood Young Master Pei.

Jiang Ninghui hid in the cramped space, her hands tightly gripping Pei Gongzi's sleeve.

The young man maintained the posture of holding her throughout.

She could always feel the burning heat of Young Master Pei's breath in her ear.

It seemed to be pressed against the tip of her ear.

Jiang Ninghui could even feel a very slight dampness constantly touching the tip of her ear.

She didn't know what it was and awkwardly flinched away.

The young man holding her spoke in a strangely low and hoarse voice: "Sister-in-law, don't move, Brother Zhao is coming."

Jiang Ninghui froze instantly, even her breathing became much softer.

This was the second time she had hidden her lover in Young Master Pei's arms.

Both times, it was Young Master Pei who covered for her.

Jiang Ninghui bit her lip, a wave of humiliation washing over her.

To avoid her lover, she repeatedly had another man cover for her. If her lover found out, it would be tantamount to dragging the young master Pei, who was at the top of the clouds, into the mud.

He rolled in the mud with her, was criticized, and was despised.

She was wrong.

She shouldn't have indulged herself this time in the first place.

In this way, one will not fall into such a predicament.

Jiang Ninghui heard her husband greet Young Master Pei, and several of her classmates were also greeting Young Master Pei.

Her cheek was pressed against the young man's chest, and as he spoke, she could hear the thumping and pulsating of his chest.

Jiang Ninghui felt as if she had been rolled in fire, her ears and face burning hot.

She dared not move or make a sound, and could only shrink in Young Master Pei's arms, waiting for her husband and the others to leave.

She felt like a wicked woman who was having an affair and was afraid of being caught by her husband.

The extreme tension and excitement caused Jiang Ninghui to break out in a cold sweat.

She prayed.

Whatever you do, whatever you do, don't let your husband see you.

Pei Duo and Jiang Ninghui were inside the curtain.

Zhao Zhixue and others were in the corridor.

The group saw Pei Duo carrying someone and squeezed the person into a corner.

He was completely covered up, and the group couldn't even catch a glimpse of the man's clothes.

A companion asked Zhao Zhixue, "Don't you live in the same courtyard as Pei Duo? Do you know who he's holding in his arms?"

Zhao Zhixue: "I don't know."

He was also very curious.

Having known Pei Duo for over a decade, he observed that Pei Duo had always been aloof and indifferent in his dealings with people and matters since childhood, showing no emotion whatsoever. Even towards the Pei couple, he was only slightly better than others.

This was the first time he had ever seen Pei hug and kiss a woman in public.

A classmate patted the group on the shoulder, signaling them to leave first.

Pei Duo and his young mistress were enjoying themselves at the lantern festival, and neither of them wanted to disturb the other's enjoyment.

Zhao Zhixue greeted Pei Duo and then walked away with the others.

After a moment, Jiang Ninghui asked softly, "Young Master Pei, has my lord... left?"

The young man rested his chin lightly on Jiang Ninghui's head, his dark pupils even darker than the night.

“You haven’t gone far yet. If your sister-in-law comes out now, Brother Zhao will be able to see her as soon as he turns around.”

Jiang Ninghui had no choice but to continue hiding.

Passersby frequently glanced at the couple in the corner, and all sorts of gazes followed.

The young man was completely oblivious.

Fifteen minutes later, Jiang Ninghui was finally freed.

She lost all interest in enjoying the lantern festival, and a sense of lingering fear overwhelmed her.

If my husband had discovered this, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Sure enough, the consequences of indulging herself once were something she couldn't bear.

This is a one-time event.

She will never do that again.

Jiang Ninghui insisted on going back, fearing that if she returned even a moment later, her husband would discover that neither she nor Young Master Pei were there, which would surely arouse his suspicion.

We arrived by horse-drawn carriage.

We also took a horse-drawn carriage back, and half an hour later, the carriage arrived at the alley.

Jiang Ninghui practically ran home, and when she saw that the gate was still locked, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense all the way, finally settled down.

Jiang Ninghui and Pei Duo entered the hospital one after the other.

The courtyard was dark and gloomy, and the two rooms were also pitch black.

The young man's figure was hidden in the darkness. His handsome and aloof face was tinged with a sinister aura in the night. His dark eyes were fixed on Jiang Ninghui as the woman bowed awkwardly and thanked him.

"Thank you so much, Young Master Pei, for taking me to the lantern festival tonight. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Pei Duo: "Sister-in-law, there's no need to be so polite with me. It's my way of taking you to see the lantern festival and repaying your kindness in paying for my medical expenses."

Jiang Ninghui felt even more ashamed and embarrassed after hearing what Young Master Pei said.

She lowered her head, turned and went back into the house, but then heard the young man call her again.

"sister in law."

Jiang Ninghui stopped in her tracks and looked at him, puzzled.

The young man tapped the lantern in her hand with his chin: "I'll keep this rabbit lantern for you, sister-in-law."

Jiang Ninghui realized what was happening and hurriedly handed it over, saying, "Thank you."

After saying that, he hurriedly ran back into the house to hide.

Pei Duo glanced at the closed door, turned back into his room, placed the rabbit lantern on the pear blossom table, touched the rabbit lantern's ears with his fingertips, and gently stroked them, moving them inch by inch downwards.

A smile crept into the young man's dark, narrow, and cold eyes.

That was a chilling smile that didn't reach his eyes.

What a beautiful night.

It's a pity there's this spoilsport of a useless person.

If he had known this would happen, he should have taken his sister-in-law out more and arranged for her to bump into that good-for-nothing.

At 3:45 PM, the night was deep and the cold was heavy.

Jiang Ninghui tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Before long, she heard the courtyard gate being pushed open and heard her husband's voice.

"Brother Pei, it's already this late and you're still not resting."

The window was open, and Pei Duo sat at the pear blossom table reading a book.

To his left was a rabbit lantern, the candle inside of which had burned out.

The young man tapped the rabbit's ears absently with his fingertip and said indifferently, "Not yet."

Zhao Zhixue noticed the rabbit lantern and, recalling what he had witnessed on the boat that evening, became genuinely curious. So he asked, "Was this rabbit lantern a gift from the young lady who went to see the lantern festival with Brother Pei tonight?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ninghui, who was inside the room, nervously clenched her fingers.

A moment later, she heard Young Master Pei give a very faint "hmm".

Then the young master asked, "Back then, I saw you protecting that young lady so closely, not even a corner of her clothes was exposed. Brother Pei, can you give me a hint? Who is that young lady? You two are so intimate, is your wedding approaching?"

The young man paused his fingertips on the rabbit's ears, then lifted his thin eyelids to look at Zhao Zhixue.

He parted his thin lips slightly and uttered four words: "The time is not yet ripe."

Zhao Zhixue understood.

Pei Di probably planned to marry someone else's wife after passing the imperial examination.

He chatted with Pei Duo for a few more minutes before returning to his room.

However, Zhao Zhixue was somewhat preoccupied.

For Pei Di, getting into high school was an easy task, but for him, it was a difficult and arduous journey.

Fortunately, he still had Sui Sui.

The fortune teller said that Sui Sui's birth chart was auspicious for him.

With Sui Sui around, his path to the imperial examinations was smooth and successful, and he was able to achieve all his wishes.

Last year's college entrance examination is an example.

Zhao Zhixue approached the bed and saw Jiang Ninghui sleeping under the covers. He gently patted her shoulder and whispered, "Wife, wife."

Jiang Ninghui didn't dare show her face, afraid that her husband would find out she hadn't slept.

She had never lied before, but when she did, her eyes would dart around, and she looked extremely unnatural.

But since arriving in town and telling her husband a few lies, she hasn't been as nervous and timid as she was at the beginning.

She rubbed her eyes, deliberately making them red, then pretended to be sleepy and peeked out, her soft voice gentle and pleasant: "My lord is back."

Zhao Zhixue sat on the edge of the bed, holding Jiang Ninghui's slender, fair hand. His handsome face showed some guilt: "My wife, I broke my promise. I said I would come back later to pick you up to go see the lantern festival, but my classmates were in a hurry to go to the lantern festival to compose poems. I was dragged away by them before I could come back. It was my fault."

He took out a paper package from his pocket: "I brought some roasted chestnuts for my wife, get up and try them."

Jiang Ninghui felt quite uneasy because she had secretly gone to the lantern festival with Young Master Pei that night.

She dared not meet her husband's gaze, nor dared she speak more.

She gently shook her head, withdrew her hand, tucked into the blankets, and turned her back to Zhao Zhixue: "Let's eat tomorrow, I'm sleepy."

Zhao Zhixue thought Jiang Ninghui was angry with him.

He put down the oil paper package, lay down on his side on the tatami mat, and pulled her into his arms from behind, blanket and all, nuzzling his chin affectionately against Jiang Ninghui's neck.

Then, the movement paused.

He sniffed Jiang Ninghui's scent.

Jiang Ninghui noticed the subtle sound of her husband sniffing, and instantly froze, her scalp tingling.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Early update! There's a red envelope in this chapter!

It might even be earlier, tomorrow at 6 PM! [Applause]